Elon Musk’s social media platform X has firmly opposed French authorities’ demands for access to internal data amid a criminal investigation accusing the company of manipulating its algorithms and engaging in fraudulent extraction of data.
The platform described the probe as politically motivated and suggested it aims to suppress freedom of expression.
The company’s global government affairs team stated that the inquiry, which intensified recently, is “politically-motivated” and designed to “restrict free speech.”
In a post on the platform, X said, “French authorities have launched a politically-motivated criminal investigation into X over the alleged manipulation of its algorithm and alleged ‘fraudulent data extraction.’ X categorically denies these allegations.”
French prosecutors opened the investigation in January after complaints were filed by a French member of parliament and a senior official at a public institution. The allegations centre on suspicions that the platform’s algorithm was being used as a tool for foreign interference, a concern that has grown amid the global scrutiny of social media’s role in public discourse.
Control of the inquiry shifted this month to a specialised division within France’s national police, with prosecutors focusing on potential offences involving interference with automated data processing systems and the illicit extraction of data.
X revealed that French authorities requested access to the company’s recommendation algorithm and real-time data concerning all user posts so that several “experts” could analyse the information purportedly to “uncover the truth” about how the platform operates.
The company expressed uncertainty about the specific allegations it faces, stating it “remains in the dark as to the specific allegations made” against it. Based on information available, X asserted, “this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech.”
“For these reasons, X has not acceded to the French authorities’ demands, as we have a legal right to do. This is not a decision that X takes lightly. However, in this case, the facts speak for themselves.”
X also questioned the impartiality of the two experts appointed to review its algorithm: David Chavalarias, director of the Paris Complex Systems Institute (ISC-PIF), and Maziyar Panahi, an AI platform leader at the same institute.
The company pointed out that Chavalarias leads a campaign called “Escape X,” which encourages users to leave the platform. It further claimed that Panahi had worked on research projects with Chavalarias that demonstrated “open hostility towards X.” Both men have been named on academic papers related to X.
“The involvement of these individuals raises serious concerns about the impartiality, fairness, and political motivations of the investigation, to put it charitably. A predetermined outcome is not a fair one,” X stated.
This investigation occurs in the middle of growing European scrutiny of digital platforms over their handling of content, transparency of algorithms, and data protection practices. France is prominent among European countries striving to regulate online spaces more strictly, especially in response to concerns over misinformation, election interference, and the impact of artificial intelligence on public communication.
Elon Musk’s transformation of Twitter into X has renewed debates about content moderation philosophies and the power held by social media algorithms in shaping public discussion.
Critics warn that Musk’s emphasis on “free speech” could enable the spread of harmful content, while Musk contends that previous approaches unduly censored legitimate viewpoints.